After hearing about the passing of Jarrid Wilson, Editorial Board member Tim St. John wrote a reflection. Honoring Jarrid Wilson and Stepping in to Help the Hopeless is his remembrance and encouragement to our SOLA readers.
We also published an anonymous testimony from a young woman who is being healed after being sexually abused. Pastor Owen Lee started a new series on faith and work. And Pastor Jimmy Davis was featured as the final installment of our Gen Z series.
Last week we launched our Thank God It’s Friday Newsletter so you can get our TGIF weekend roundups delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe today to receive our new issue next Friday. And if you have any links or recommendations to share, please tweet me @musicgoon or email me at aaron@musicgoon.com.
Link Roundup
1. Dennis Oh: Why This Asian Presbyterian Can’t Quit the White Pentecostal Church
A testimony from Christianity Today on culture, immigrant churches, and longing for the elimination of ethnic barriers.
2. Daniel Victor: Hong Kong Protesters, Without an Anthem to Sing, Create One Online
A quick article from The New York Times on the power of music, the prominence of technology, and the passion of people.
3. Kelly Needham: 4 Ways Your Faith Should Shape Your Friendships
From The Gospel Coalition: “Friends are the new family. With the traditional nuclear family on the decline in America, people are still searching for some form of stability—and for many, their gaze is turning to friendship. With the largest population of singles our nation has ever seen, we shouldn’t be too surprised.”
4. Michael S. Beates: 10 Things You Should Know about People with Disabilities
I found this Crossway article to be relevant to our SOLA readers because Asian-American churches must care for and champion people with disabilities. For further reading, discover What It’s Like Being Disabled And Asian In America by Wendy Lu for the Huffington Post.
Weekend Recommendations
1. Heidi Tai: Lazy Susan
“Authored by Heidi Tai, ‘Lazy Susan’ is a collection of short stories where faith, freedom and fried rice intersects. The book highlights the unique joys and challenges of immigration, the clash between cultures, and how faith in Jesus successfully bridged the gap between East and West.” If you subscribe to her newsletter in September, you will receive a free abridged copy!
2. The Bible Project: Temple
The Bible Project YouTube channel kicked off their sixth season by releasing a 4-minute video on the temple. “In this video, we explore how Israel’s temple in the Bible is described as the place where God’s space and humanity’s space are one. In fact, the whole biblical drama can be told as a story about God’s temple.”
3. Aaron Lee: Book Reviews
This week I reviewed Disability in Mission and The Atlas of Biblical Jerusalem.
From SOLA
1. Tim St. John: Honoring Jarrid Wilson and Stepping in to Help the Hopeless
“On Monday, Pastor Jarrid Wilson went home to be with the Lord. He openly talked about his struggle with depression. He cared deeply for those struggling with the same suffering that afflicted his life. One great desire he had throughout his ministry was to de-stigmatize the issues of depression and suicide.”
2. Jimmy Davis: How I Failed My Youth Group
“So yes, praise God: For when there is failure, there is even more abounding grace. But a wise person once told me, ‘It’s a good thing to learn from your mistakes. But it’s an even better thing to learn from the mistakes of others.’ So how did I fail my youth group? And how might you learn from my mistake?”
3. Owen Lee: Work Life Series: The Goodness, Purpose, and Dignity of Work
“People tend to view work in one of two ways. One view of work is too low. This is when people see work as a necessary evil; it’s something they HAVE to do in order to make a living and survive. The other view of work is too high. This is when people see work as the source of their identity; their work is what makes them important and significant. As Christ-followers, we need a view of work that is neither too low nor too high; we need a view of work that is biblical. So how can we do that?”
4. Anonymous: God is Restoring Me: Testimony of a Redeemed Daughter
Notice to readers: This testimony refers to sexual abuse that may be triggering to survivors and may be unsuitable for some readers. “Likewise, God has been knocking on the broken rooms of my heart this season, asking to come in so he can fix things. And while my house only needs fixing in some places, my heart needs a full renovation.”
5. Thank God It’s Friday: Weekend Roundup
In case you missed it, here are some headlines from last week: Once Abused by the Church, Now I Love the Church, ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Co-Writer Exits Sequel Amid Pay Disparity Dispute, Salvation Is More Important Than Success, and What’s It Like to be a Lead Pastor?
6. SOLA: TGIF Subscription
Get our weekly TGIF weekend roundups delivered straight to your inbox for free. Subscribe today so you never miss out.